Soqoiwasa completes cartography course
A REPUBLIC of Fiji Navy personnel Palu Soqoiwasa was on top of the world recently, after successfully completing a Geospatial Marine Analysis and Cartography course in the United Kingdom.
The Able Seaman, who is part of the Fiji Hydrographic Office, began the GMAC course in August, sponsored by the Nippon Foundation and hosted by the UK Hydrographic office.
“Fifteen cartographers from 15 countries participated in the course and have officially graduated to became part of the 84 member Nippon Course alumni,” the RFN said on its Facebook page.
According to the RFN, the GMAC course covered components of charting fundamentals, including content, structure, and standards of nautical charts and publications.
“It also covered geospatial fundamentals in understanding the IHO S-57 and principles of hydrographic databases, and covering software familiarisation,” the RFN said.
“The compilation and product construction modules allows course participants to construct and validate a hydrographic database, incorporating all relevant hydrographic and topographic source information from analogue to digital formats to designing and producing paper and electronic charts.
“The last four weeks focused on participants completing their final project and by the end of the course, submitted a Multi Panel Paper Chart, 1
Band 5 Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) and a Band 6 Electronic Navigational Chart that would determine their competence to compile and produce a Chart (Paper and ENC).”
The Fiji Hydrographic Office is mandated by government to carry out hydrographic surveying, oceanographic surveying and nautical charting, to meet the needs of government departments, mercantile marine and all other public and commercial interests to promote safety at sea.
Its area of responsibility covers the waters encompassed by Fiji’s 200nm Exclusive Economic Zone including oceanic, coastal and inshore waters and harbours but excluding those harbours defined as ports of entry and administered by Fiji Ports Corporation Ltd.